Street of happiness
by Aqua4444
Summary: One moment, they were happy. The next, they weren't. One moment, they were alive. The next, they weren't. Sirius hadn't known what would happen and neither had Peter. The muggles certainly hadn't known...


**This was just something that popped into my head when I was out shopping with my grandmother... **

**Enjoy! (though it might be a bit of a too happy word in this case). **

* * *

They hadn't seen it coming. . . .

. . . .

Mark was happy. The odd weather of shooting stars was gone and today, he was going to get a promotion. He would celebrate this later with his girlfriend, perhaps over a bottle of wine and a nice dinner. . . . Mark smiled, clutching his briefcase and continued walking with a slight spring in his steps. He was happy.

Gretel was happy. She was on her way home from the hospital after being told that she soon would get better, that these new medicines had better odds than the last ones. She was over the moon and couldn't wait to be able to tell her children and grandchildren. . . . Gretel smiled, enjoying the slight November sun that peeked out through dark clouds. She was happy.

Sophie was happy. She had gotten accepted to Oxford collage and she felt like she would get somewhere in life. Her vivid ginger hair matched the leaves on the trees she passed on her way to the bus that would take her back to her lousy job one more time and then it would be over. . . . Sophie smiled, savoring the taste of this chilly morning. She was happy.

Simon was happy. He also had a very, very small hangover – an improvement – but the slight pounding in his head was only proof of that he was alive, that he had made it. His mates had helped him getting to his feet again after his failed relationship and he felt great, ready to take new chances. . . . Simon smiled, waving to the waitress who had bought him his coffee and opened the door and continued his journey down the street. He was happy.

Alice was happy. She liked to help people and she was skipping down the street, jumping over the creaks in the stone. She was on her way to buy some apples and milk to her grandmother. . . . Alice smiled, her innocent eyes wide as she took in what seemed to be an owl in the sky and she could smell apples in the air. She was happy.

Richard was happy. He was so happy that his happiness almost bordered to sadness. His daughter was getting married and her happiness was contagious. As Richard walked down the street to the local shop a few blocks away, he whistled the tune of a wedding march. . . . Richard smiled as he thought of his daughter. He was happy.

Britt was happy. She had just finished practice with her band and the last tunes of their song still echoed in her head as clear as the shooting stars that had been sighted in the sky for the last few days. She twirled a piece of her messy hair around her finger, swinging her guitar as she considered stopping to buy a hotdog. . . . Britt smiled, inhaling the scent of autumn and warm, newly grilled sausage dripping with fat and fried potatoes. She was happy.

Eric was happy. He almost cried tears of happiness. He had told his parents that he was into boys and they had reacted fine. It was a weight lifting from his shoulders and the whole world just seemed so much more beautiful, magical. . . . Eric smiled, pulling his beanie down over his curly hair and his ears to keep them warm from the chilly air. He was happy.

Thomas was happy. He had just gotten out from jail after being in for a couple of months after a failed burglary. Everything felt better now. He felt free and being out in the city was as refreshing as a glass of cold water on a hot summer's day. . . . Thomas smiled, licking his lips as he smelled the smell of warm and inviting food. He was happy.

Jonah was happy. He was out shopping for his wife who was pregnant with their second child. He never knew such happiness then when his wife had told him that she was pregnant. His eyes were alight as he went out of the grocery shop and onto the street, feeling as if his heart would burst of love and happiness, thinking of baby names. . . . Jonah smiled at everyone he met and some of them return the smile with polite puzzled expressions, but he was in his own little world. He was happy.

Christian was happy. He had inherited a lot of money from a distant relative whom he had only met twice and disliked. As he strutted down the street on his way to the bank, he thought with satisfied amazement that he had enough money to buy the whole street if he liked. . . . Christian smiled, running a hand through his shiny hair, his expensive watch glittering in the few beams of the sun. He was happy.

Ellie was happy. Her sister was coming to visit and family reunions were always a blast. Their mother would make her famous treacle tart and their grandfather would tell them all stories from his youth. It was an event filled with laughter and a feeling of belonging. . . . Ellie smiled, grey eyes matching the clouds in the sky and her lips the color of the leaves on the trees. She was happy.

. . . .

No one noticed the two young men at first. Not until the shouting started.

"Peter!" roared one of them, a tall, handsome man, dressed in only black.

He looked furious, mad, baring his teeth like a wild animal. People stopped to stare, started to whisper amongst each other. His presence killed whatever little light that the sun had managed to bless them with. He was a raging storm coming in, lightening in his eyes and thunder in his voice.

The other man, whose name seemed to be Peter, was a short and plump man, dressed in a light brown robe and with a desperate expression on his sweaty face. He looked small and timid next to the other man, even though they were some meters apart.

The man dressed in black advanced on Peter and the crowd broke out in worried and uncomfortable mutterings, not knowing what to do. Something about this whole thing was off. The men were unfamiliar and seemed to possess some higher power. The happiness of the people in the crowd dampened from gold to a faint yellow.

As the black clad man took a few step closer to Peter, the short man yelled in a high, terrified voice:

"How could you, Sirius? Lily and James are dead because of you!"

The other man's face darkened even though it turned a few shades whiter. Windows broke and pieces of glass shattered of the street like falling stars. People started shouting and moving, their subconscious telling them to run.

Then it all went deadly quiet.

Then everything went dark and light, the sound of an explosion could be heard through the whole town.

The man, Sirius, coughed as a wave of smoke hit him in the face. Screams rang in his ears and when the thick, shadowlike smoke had started to vanish, he could no longer see Peter. There was only a heap of light brown robes and blood where he had been standing.

Sirius furrowed his dark brows, turning around as if searching for the other man. The chilly November air echoed of screams and shouts, people running around and crying, not knowing what to do. Buildings were destroyed and fire danced up towards the grey sky.

And in a huge crater in the ground, where it had once been smooth, but worn out stone, laid twelve bodies. They were all covered in blood, lying in different angels, but with the same ghostly and staring, lifeless eyes.

It was chaotic, but Sirius was calm. Not even when it appeared men in robes out of thin air, surrounding him and shouted, pointing sticks at him, did he do something.

He stared at the dead bodies, people he would never know the names of, and the sight seemed to trigger something inside him. He started to smile; a breathtaking smile, showing off pearly-white teeth and the beauty of youth. His eyes were starting to steel themselves, but there was still a mad spark in them, much like the fire that seared up towards the sky and danced around the destroyed street.

He threw his head back and laughed a loud and high laugh that stood in sharp contrast to the other sounds in the street. And for a time to come, he would continue to laugh a madman's laugh.

But the twelve dead people that laid spread across the street would never laugh again.


End file.
